How to spell underpay

hear itun·der·pay/,əndə'peɪ/verbPrefixes and work

What it means: To give less money than something costs or requires.

In a sentence: If you underpay for a toy, you might forget some money.

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as under pay or underpey.

Same family: underpaid, underpaying, payment, repay, overpay. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: The verb "underpay" is formed from the prefix "under-" meaning "too little" or "beneath" and the verb "pay," which comes from Old French "paier," meaning to satisfy or settle a debt. English also uses the opposite idea with "overpay," creating a clear pair of antonyms built from the same root.

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Words like this

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